Retail Inspired have been commissioned by local authorities throughout 2018 and delivered a number of projects and evaluations to support the evolution of town centres, providing direction and advice to enable the development of a more strategic approach towards identifying new development opportunities and innovative ways of enhancing town centres, including delivering initiatives to improve the townscape, retail and leisure offer in the medium term.

Effective local leadership, a clear vision for the future development opportunities including consideration of place branding, community engagement, digital and business support are essential elements to the future success of any town centre.

Town centres up and down the country are going through a period of structural change as the way communities shop, interact and socialise is evolving. Town centres will continue to be pivotal locations at the heart of our communities, but what is clear is that to survive they must differentiate their offer from other towns and remain relevant – a new purpose and balance of businesses to support the existing town centres embracing new trends and not just about retail.

Online shopping continues to play a vital role in attracting consumers to town centres, therefore it is how our towns, businesses, local authorities and other stakeholders innovate and evolve to meet the needs of customers. Creating unique experiences and experimental uses supporting town centres to offer an interesting retail and leisure mix thus encouraging increased footfall and dwell time.

Effective local leadership, a clear vision for the future development opportunities including consideration of the following are essential elements to the future success of any town centre.

Innovative Place Branding

Enhanced Public Realm

A regular programme of Events

Digital Support to Businesses

Town Centre Brand Storytelling

Accessibility

Cleanliness

Community Engagement

Following a successful 2018, we are looking forward to working with new and existing clients including Local Authorities, shopping centres and town centres in 2019. The recent publication of the High street Report with a panel of retail experts and led by Sir John Timpson was formed at the request of High Streets Minister Jake Berry MP in July 2018 and includes recommendations that we are delighted to see to support town centres in the future. We have advised town centres and conducted evaluations/health checks throughout this year – supporting the evolution of town centres.

We would love to hear from you if you’re planning to evaluate your town centre or simply want to discover how Retail Inspired could support your town in the future, please contact us by visiting our website.

Our range of consultancy services include:

Town Centre/High Street Evaluation for Local Authorities

Town Centre Health Check Reports for Local Authorities

Town Centre regeneration projects

Place branding

Communication strategy

Social media marketing and content creation

Tailored business support

Brand Strategy and development

Wishing all our followers and clients a Merry Christmas and a successful 2019.